One
by Degonda
Summary: The events immediately after the cage closed. Told in specific moments of time.
1. One Second

**One**

AU as soon as Season 6 aires… so I got a few months to go.

Also, I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon of writing my version of post Season 5.

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One Second… after the cage closed.

_No, not Sam. No. No no no no no no no no …_

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Yeah, that's it. :) Nah, read each chapter... they get longer.


	2. One Minute

**One**

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One Minute…

Dean pulled his broken body away from the Impala, the only thing holding him up at that moment. Inch by inch, he dragged himself to the spot, the black hole in the earth Dean could no longer see. _Please let me die… I need to be with him. Please… please no more. Please God, please. _Somehow he pulled his legs up under him, ending up kneeling exactly where Sam stood but a minute ago. Clasping his hands together, he began to pray to a God who was no longer there. _Please, God, please. Please, I beg of you. Please…_

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Please Review! I love me some feedback.


	3. One Hour

**One**

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One Hour…

A low rumble filled the street as Dean pulled away from Bobby. The man stared, watching the man he thought of as a son leave, only slightly less broken than he had seen him ever before. They say the first time is always the worst. _Does that apply to watching your little brother die?_

Dean had left him the address of where he would be, with some girl named Lisa. _Don't know how long that's going to last_, but if Bobby knew one thing, it was he was not going to let that boy stay alone after this one. And Dean wasn't lying. He would go to Lisa, just how long he would stay there was the question. Questions, questions, so many questions. _Idjit knows where to find me when he's ready to talk._

Bobby sighed, sliding himself into his truck. He knew the hard truth of what just happened hadn't hit him yet, or Dean for that matter. It would be a tornado when it did, _but you know what to do when a storm is comin._ _Bunker down, get some whiskey, and wait for the sun to shine again._

Bobby snorted. _Yeah right._

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Enjoying it? Read on!


	4. One Day

**One**

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One Day…

_He's gone… he's still gone… it's been a day and he's still gone._ The mantra rolled over and over around in his mind. _I can't make a deal, I can't do anything. I promised him. And a brother's promise… it's the last promise I'll ever make to a brother, cause mine are gone… he's gone…_

"Dean?" He lifted his head to find a pair of deep brown eyes staring into his. They were gentle, caring. "Sweetie?"

That did it. That one word, which encompassed all the love and caring he never expected to feel again. Tears flowed down his cheeks. The Winchester's soul cracked, the anguish leaching out. He screamed, he cursed, he promised vengeance against God. He cried past the point of crying. He finally let go of his control.

Thru it all, she sat with him.

Hours passed. Dean's body finally gave out to exhaustion, his throat raw. Too much had happened with too little sleep. His body lied still, barely moving an inch. The only betrayal was his tears, which continued to flow past the point of consciousness.

And thru it all, she sat with him.

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I know... I'm such a sap.


	5. One Week

**One**

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One Week…

_Has it really been a week? Only a whole week?_

Dean pushed himself up, scratching at his beard. He stretched, his joints popping before finally settling down. The headache started to blossom across his forehead, Dean squinted as he tried to ward it off. _God damn it. _Slowly, he pushed himself off the bed, stumbling toward the bathroom to relieve himself. _And water… must get water._

A few minutes later, Dean found himself sitting back on the bed, staring at his hands. _Is it really a week? How can time keep going forward? _Dean sighed, closing his eyes and clenched his fists. _Another day. Just get thru another day._

"Dean? Are you up?" Dean glanced at the doorway, half-smiling at the almost musical voice. And not to mention the smell of eggs, and bacon were making his mouth water.

Shuffling into the kitchen, he found Lisa at the stove, smiling up at him. Ben sat at the table, shoving as much egg into his mouth as he could.

"Feeling up to some eggs, Dean?" Dean nodded gently, sliding into a chair at the table. A second later, a plate full of amazingness was plopped down in front of him. A second clunk rose his eyebrows, glancing sheepishly at Lisa. She smiled back down at him.

"Hair of the dog, right?" With that, she turned and went back to the stove, grabbing a plate for herself.

Dean blinked. _Could she be any cooler of a chick?_ Raising the beer to his lips, Dean sighed deeply, so deep it could almost be confused for satisfaction.

A minute passed, with only the sounds of silverware clinking. Finally, Dean raised his head and cleared his throat.

"So. What's the plan for today?" Lisa glanced at Ben, frowning thoughtfully.

"Maybe the park? Some basketball? We can make sandwiches for lunch. And a late afternoon movie? Ben smiled at his mother, approving of that schedule. He turned to Dean, watching for his reaction.

Dean blinked and nodded. He stared at Lisa, soaking in her smile, her understanding, her patience with him. _One day at a time. We can do this, if we take it one day at a time._

"Yeah, I can do that."

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This was the hardest chapter to write... maybe because One Month was going to be One Week, then I moved it up, deciding Dean needed more time to heal. What do you think? Please review!


	6. One Month

**One**

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One Month…

Dean pulled himself up, the dirt of the garage leaving a streak on his cheek. The tinkering helped. Being able to work on his baby, it kept a connection open, one he desperately was not ready to completely brick up. _No, no, no. Don't let your brain go down that path, you dumb ass. Don't think about it directly. Just glance at it out of the corner of your eye. _A quick swig of the beer slammed the gate on his thoughts, just as he intended. Shaking his head clear, he started wiping his hands. The oil streaks would not be appreciated on the bathroom sink. Dean smirked. _Lisa might actually castrate me if I brought oil into her house._

"Dean?" Ben stood in the doorway, his hand bumping against his thigh nervously.

"Hey kid. What's up?" Dean put his rag down, giving Ben his full attention. He found Ben responded better when he wasn't distracted; which, if Dean was completely truthful to himself, he hadn't been very often recently, so they hadn't connected quite right yet. Hell, it took him almost two weeks to figure out Ben was just as nervous as he was about having another guy in the house. And that talking down to him like he was a kid would do nothing but frustrate them both.

"I was…" Ben paused, took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you wanted some help."

Dean's eyebrows shot up. He knew Ben was practically a mini-him, but seriously? "You're interested in cars?"

"Yeah, a little." Ben's head dropped. "And… you know, I…uh… I was wondering if you wanted some help." He finished lamely.

Dean looked at the Impala. He had always been the one to work on the Impala, starting as soon as he could hold a wrench for his father. By the time he was Ben's age, he was pretty well versed in almost everything the Impala had to offer. Hell, it was only when he was on the road to Hell that he actually started to teach Sam anything about fixing her, even though his brother had been watching his whole life. Been watching his big brother, looking up to him, waiting to make him proud... _Stop it, Dean._

"Yeah. I could use some help." Dean picked up his oil rag and walked over to Ben. "But first, you gotta look like you've been working hard, get some dirty under your fingernails." Before he could blink, Dean whipped the rag across Ben's nose, leaving a smudge of oil. He smiled. "Now you're ready."

A clunk accompanied the hood being lifted, revealing the beautiful innards of the Impala. "We're going to start here, with the engine cylinders." Dean patted the machinery. "We'll eventually move onto the piston and the carburetor. Now, she's working pretty good right now, so you can see what it should look like. We'll see how far we get and maybe I'll find a crappy engine somewhere so you can see what a broken one look… looks like."

Dean grimaced at his stuttering. _Broken, fixed, better, worse. It's all the same right now._

"Dean?" Ben stood on a milk crate, leaning into the hood like a seasoned mechanic, staring at the engine. "It was nice to see you smile."

Dean smiled again. "I'll try to remember that."

_Oh God, why do you hate me?_

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I hope that wasn't too cheesy... I wanted a guy-on-guy moment with Ben, but still kinda manly. Please review!


	7. One Year

**One**

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One Year…

"Baby? Where are you?" Dean ran thru the kitchen, a nine-inch bloody butcher knife in his hand, at the ready. "Lisa?"

"What?" Turning the corner, Dean saw her, lying on the couch, her book propped up against her slightly rounded stomach. _My baby… with my baby._

"Where were you?" Dean stood there, slightly shocked at her presence when he had just checked the couch a moment ago.

"Bathroom. My bladder was getting kicked again."

"Oh thank god… I wanted to make sure you were feeling up to shish kabob tonight. I got green peppers in case you still weren't liking the yellow ones, so I wanted to double check." Dean stared intently, watching her face for any sway one way or another.

"Hmmm, I think I'm okay with any color pepper this week." Lisa smiled. "And you are so cute for remembering to ask."

Dean smirked. "Well, I do what I do." He turned back to the kitchen, slicing the bloody lamb into cubes, placing them in a bowl. Chopping sounds soon followed, the delicious smell of onions, honey, chili pepper, and lemon wafted out of the kitchen.

"That you do." Lisa looked back at her book, placing a tab on the top of the page. It's amazing what a year will do to a person. Lisa sure wasn't going to mention anything and it didn't seem like Dean even remembered, judging by his lack of depression. Lisa's mind went back to that day, one year ago when the man she thought she had lost not once, but twice ended up a third time on her doorstep. Like before, she never expected him to stay. Give him a hot meal, a warm bed, a shoulder to cry on for as long as he needed and just prepare for the day he would disappear. But somehow, a day became two, two became a week, a week became a month, _and now here we are, six months married and giving Ben a little sister._

"Hunny, how do you feel about taking Ben for some ice cream at Smithie's after dinner?" Lisa called to the kitchen, still engrossed in her book.

"Sounds good!" Dean called back, refusing to abandon his station. He wasn't quite sure how, but in the past couple of months, Dean discovered he was not only quite the cook, he truly enjoyed it. Maybe it was because he was so used to bad, microwaveable food, he would automatically make sure there was some serious flavor to everything. Maybe because it was one of the few things that did nothing to remind him of the first 28 years of his life. Whatever the reason, it was nice. And days like this when Lisa wasn't up to cooking, with her belly getting bigger by the day, Dean gladly took on the chore.

"What letter are you up to?" Dean quickly whisked his marinate, tossing in the lamb cubes before grabbing an onion.

"I just hit 'S' a bit ago. Sage, Sahara, Sakura, Salena, Sally, Salma, Samantha, Samara, Sandi, Sandra, Sarah… I don't know, they all don't really seem to fit. I was still thinking of something like Lily or Miranda or…" Lisa stopped listing the names, listening to the sudden silence from the kitchen. _Shit._

Dean had frozen, his knife midway thru the onion. His eyes were far away, thinking back. He felt a hand on the small of his back, a chin on his shoulder.

"Sorry baby. I didn't think."

Dean turned, plastering a smile onto his face. "It's okay. Really, it's okay. Just…" he paused, taking the breath he needed "Not Samantha. Nothing like Samantha. Or Mary. Or Jo. Or Ellen or Jessica or…" Lisa hushed him, sensing a barrage of emotion headed his way. They stood, staring into each other's eyes as they had done time and time again. Somehow, they were always able to read what each other were thinking simply thru their eyes. _I guess that's what loving your wife is like._

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Dean sighed, his eyes far from tears, but still filled with sadness. "It's been a year, Lisa. I couldn't forget today's date if I tried, but… I'm okay. This year has been one of the best of my life. I wouldn't give up you and Ben for the world. Or our little muffin."

Lisa broke out into a smile. "Muffy? You like the name Muffy?"

"Well, there was this one stripper…" Dean grinned, laying a kiss onto Lisa's cheek, ducking quickly to kiss her belly too. "Anyway… yeah. Don't worry baby. I've been okay for a while. I'm always going to have a bit of trouble on this day. But believe me when I say I'm sticking around." Dean's tone turned serious. "I won't ever leave you or Ben, Lisa. Ever. I won't be a deadbeat dad, or an absent one."

Lisa smiled gently. "You couldn't be a deadbeat dad if you tried."

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"Seriously baby? Pistashio and Coconut Chip? That is just… gross!" Dean grimaced as he licked his own Moosetracks cone. Lisa merely smiled, wolfing down her oddly colored bowl of flavors. "Tell her, Ben. That's just not right."

"Dean's right, Mom. That's just not natural." Ben grinned up at Dean before licking a runaway drip of his own Chocolate Mint Chip

"Bu ish ooooooo uoooood!" Lisa barely kept ice cream from coming out of her nose while laughing at her boys' reaction.

"Now we, we're normal, right my little man!" Dean reached down, grabbing Ben around the waist, whipping him around.

"Dude! Let me down, Dad!" The grins froze on everyone's face. Ben dropped his eyes a bit before lifting them up to see Dean's reaction. Lisa glanced between Ben and Dean, sensing the growing tension. Ben's smile melted as Dean didn't move, his face frozen facing forward, his arm still gripping Ben.

"Dean, did you hear Ben?" Lisa stepped forward. "Ben, sweetie, it's okay. I think you just took him by surprise." Dean slowly lowered Ben to the ground, still staring forward.

"Is it okay? Can I call him Dad?" Ben stared at Lisa, his ice cream forgotten. "I'm sorry."

"No, baby. It's okay… It…it wasn't you." Lisa had walked all the way up to Dean, facing him. His eyes were wide, his pupils practically blown and filled with fear. "Dean? What's wrong?"

"It's him." Dean whispered. "It was Sam." His eyes stared at the lamppost, his eyes searching for the sasquatch he would recognize anywhere, but had somehow disappeared right in front of his eyes.

"No baby. It wasn't. Remember, he died. You told me that you watched him die." Lisa bit her lip, trying to tread lightly. Sam was not a topic they talked about, let alone twice in one day. "Hunny, it's a year today. You don't think your eyes are playing tricks on you because it's today?"

"No, Lisa!" Dean snarled, his eyes finally breaking to meet hers. "I'd swear I have seen him a dozen times since he died, but I really saw him this time. He was there, watching us."

Lisa nodded, all the glee from a moment ago completely gone. "Okay, Dean. Okay." She smiled down at Ben. "Okay, baby. Let's head home, I'm a little tired." She looked up at Dean. "Let's go home, Dean."

Dean stared. _How was it possible? No, it wasn't… if Castiel had brought him back, why wait a year? If he was alive, he would have shown up before… Bobby would have contacted him, let him know. No… God damn it, everything was starting to become perfect. And I won't let that be taken away from me. I promised him I wouldn't._

Dean shook his head, finally seeming to come to his senses. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. Sorry Lisa." He grinned down at Ben taking a deep breath. "Sorry, buddy. I… I like being called Dad. You feel free to call me Dad anytime. Or Dean. Whatever you want."

Ben managed a small smile. "Okay."

Dean stole another glace to the lamppost, knowing it wouldn't be enough. _It never is._ "Okay buddy… let's go home." Grabbing his wife's waist and smiling at his son, the family walked home.

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Almost the end... can you feel the tension? Please Review!


	8. One Year and One Day

**One**

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One Year… and one day…

The knocking woke Dean, a deep pounding on the front door. He rolled over, throwing a protective arm around Lisa. The knocking started up again, making Lisa squirm awake.

"Dean? What is it?"

"Nothing baby… I got it." He pulled on a pair of pants over his boxers, grumbling himself awake. "If those damn kids think this is okay at frickin' midnight…"

Quickly, but very quietly, Dean went down the stairs. He could see the shadow of the kids, standing on the doorstep, probably not thinking anyone would get to the door quite that fast.

"Got'cha you little smug bastards." Dean grinned, whipping the door open.

Time stopped. A minute passed. An hour, a day, week, a month, a year.

Their eyes met, hazel on hazel. His lips parted, letting out a sob. A single tear flowed down Dean's cheek. A hand lifted, wiping it away.

"Sam. You're here."

"Hey Dean."

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So that's the end... should I continue?


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